In this lesson, children learn that God cares about fairness and keeps his promises, even when the rules have to be carefully thought through. The lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God is fair, and he keeps his promises to his people. He cares about every family, including the girls whose father had no sons.
Memory Verse
Numbers 36:6
This is the thing which the LORD does command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them be married to whom they think best; only they shall marry into the family of the tribe of their father.
(WEB)
Hold both hands out flat, like you are holding a special gift. Then slowly bring them together in front of your chest, as if you are closing a box with a promise inside. Say the key words together as you do it.
The Story: Numbers 36 for Kids
A long time ago, the people of Israel were getting ready to enter the land God had promised them. God had told Moses how to divide the land among the families, so each family would have its own piece to live on and care for. One man named Zelophehad had died, but he had no sons. He only had five daughters: Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah.
The daughters were worried. Would their father’s land be lost, just because they were girls? They went to Moses and the leaders and asked them to think about it. It was a brave thing to do, and Moses took their question to God.
God answered Moses clearly. The daughters were right to ask, and they should receive their father’s land. God said, “Let them be married to whom they think best, but they must marry someone from their father’s own family group.” That way, the land would stay in the right family and would not move from one tribe to another.
The daughters listened and obeyed God’s words. Each of them married a cousin from her father’s family. Because of this, their father’s land stayed with their family, just as God had planned. The girls showed that they trusted God to care for them, even when their situation was unusual.
God gave Moses many commands for the people to follow. These rules helped everyone understand how to care for the land and each other. The chapter ends by reminding us that these were the commands God gave to Israel while they waited on the plains of Moab, near the Jordan River.
Read It Together
Numbers 36:1
The heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the heads of the fathers’ households of the children of Israel.
(WEB)
Point out that the family leaders came to Moses with a request, and they spoke respectfully. Ask the children how they might bring a problem to a grown-up in a kind, calm way.
Numbers 36:5
Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the LORD’s word, saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks right.
(WEB)
Show the children that Moses did not decide on his own. He listened carefully and then said what the LORD had commanded. Remind them that God’s word guides our choices too.
Numbers 36:10-12
10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses: 11 for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to their father’s brothers’ sons. 12 They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph. Their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.
(WEB)
Point out that the daughters did exactly what God had asked. Their faithful obedience shows that trusting God and following him can make a real difference in a family.
Talk About It
- Why do you think the daughters of Zelophehad were worried about their father’s land?
- How did the daughters show that they trusted God?
- What is one way you can speak up kindly when something does not seem fair?
- How does God’s care for families show up in your own family?
- What is one promise God has made that makes you feel safe?
Activity Ideas
Craft: A Family Inheritance Box
You will need a shoebox or small cardboard box, markers, paper, and tape. Have each child decorate the outside of the box with pictures of their family. Inside, they can draw or write one thing their family has been given, such as a home, a garden, or a favorite memory. Talk about how God gives families gifts they can share and care for together.
Game: Stay in Your Own Tribe
Divide the children into small groups and give each group a name, like a tribe. Use a sheet of paper or a rope to mark out a “land” for each group. Call out a movement, such as hopping or clapping, and have each group do it inside its own space. Remind them that, like Israel, each group keeps its own inheritance and stays in its own place.
Take-Home: Promise Card
Give each child an index card and a pencil. Ask them to write or draw one promise they can keep this week, such as helping with dishes or saying thank you. Let them place the card somewhere they will see it each morning. Encourage them to talk with a parent about how God helps us keep our promises.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God takes care to see that every family receives what he has promised them. The daughters of Zelophehad bring a real question to God, and he answers with a clear, fair plan. It also reveals that God values faithfulness to his word and to one another across generations.
Avoid suggesting to children that the specific marriage rules in this chapter are a model for their own lives or relationships today. Keep the focus on God’s fairness, the courage to ask questions respectfully, and the faithfulness of the daughters.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank you for being fair and for keeping every promise you make to us. Help us to speak up kindly when something is not right, just as the daughters of Zelophehad did. Teach us to trust you and to follow your ways, in our homes and in our church. Thank you for caring for every family. Amen.
